Richard Ramirez Execution Date?

It seems like Richard Ramirez has been on deathrow forever now.
Why hasn't richard ramirez been executed yet? And why was scott peterson executed before him?
How to find out about possible execution date of Richard Ramirez? I don't think it is fair to the victims. After reading about him I realized he deserves it.

On August 3, 1988, the Los Angeles Times reported that some jail employees overheard Ramirez planning to shoot the prosecutor with a gun, which Ramirez intended to have smuggled into the courtroom. Consequently, a metal detector was installed outside of the courtroom and intensive searches were conducted on people entering. On August 14, the trial was interrupted because one of the jurors, Phyllis Singletary, did not arrive to the courtroom. Later that day she was found shot to death in her apartment. The jury was terrified; they could not help but wonder if Ramirez had somehow directed this event from inside his prison cell, and if he could reach other jury members. However, Ramirez was not responsible for Singletary's death; she had been shot and killed by her boyfriend, who later killed himself with the same weapon in a hotel. The alternate juror who replaced Singletary was too frightened to return to her home.

By the time of the trial, Ramirez had many female (and male) fans who were writing him letters and paying him visits. Since 1985, freelance magazine editor Doreen Lioy wrote him nearly 75 letters during his incarceration. In 1988 he proposed to her, and on October 3, 1996, they were married in California's San Quentin State Prison. Lioy has stated that she will commit suicide when Ramirez is executed.

Hopefully he will be executed soon. He's been in prison too long breathing.He killed a co-'s mother of mine.The anguish that he and his family went through was horrible.The lady he killed was Dorothy Nelson.There has been no justice for her and this psychopaths other victims.The lady who married Ramirez is obviuously not playing with a fulldeck.And if she takes her life when he's executed then we will be a safer community.

1st scott petterson is not dead. how you came up with this idea is beyond me. he is on san quinten death row i live in australia and i know this. california does not execute inmates to often as they have a lack of lawyers wanting to do appeal cases. so a death sentence basically means sit here and die. i think the standard average is 20 years for a inmate and with over 700 people in one jail awaiting execution trust me scott peterson who has been in jail for 5 years is going nowhere fast. what a **** he is.

As for richard ramirez. he is a **** to. a and a ugly ****. his failed attempts to make himself cool with his dodgy drawn pentograms is laughable. he killed women in bed. what a tough guy hey. not hard to be tough when your weeling a loaded gun in someones face in bed.

neither of these guys could die soon enough. sad part is these pricks get all the attention and notoriety. shame we dont uphold the victims of rape torture and murder so high in society. americas laws are flawed, either execute the guilty or give up the death penalty. your own constitution out rules cruel and unusual punishment . deal with that conundrum. your all gun mad i have no sympathy for killers killing killers. lol. in australia we used to execute a man with in 30 days of his sentence or it was deemed cruel and unusual punishment to have a man sit for over 20 years in a 8 ft by 4 ft cell and beg for his life through your court system. these animals took innocent life guilty by D.N.A and a jury of there peers. what more do you want ? your nation of america is flawed out dated and the only apparent civalised country to execute people. and you want to think your world leaders. lol. you guys are faliures at all costs. we got the bomb mentality. **** america nad **** your sick double standard court system. u have no justice if i lived there id be real worried. hey guess what these two guys arent black so no one will kill them soon. and you ******* know it. p.s im white and australian. i stand for all colours and justice for all.

@ Dean: No one gives a **** that you're Australian, what do you want a medal? Obviously the person who started this thread can't do basic internet research, but whether you're in Oz or the North Pole makes no difference in terms of how easy is it to find out that Peterson is still alive on DR and is likely to remain there for quite some time.
The death penalty sucks, but the reason it can take time to carry out is because there is a process aimed at avoiding executing innocent people. But anyone with half a brain knows that no matter how many "safeguards" are in place, there will always be innocent people who will be killed by the state because justice is run by humans and humans make mistakes.
Especially revolting are people who have not been directly affected by a crime, but who howl for the noose like a baying mob of toothless peasants. It's not about justice for them, they just want to see people die.
The US should abolish the death penalty. PERIOD.
By the same token I agree that it is cruel and unusual punishment to allow convicts to rot in a cupboard-sized cell, often with extreme sensory deprivation, for decades in some cases. I don't claim to know what the solution is, but there has to be something better than that, while at the same time allowing victims and their families an opportunity to come to terms with their loss and move on. We need creative justice.

what's the point in going on about this murderer, sure he may deserve it but to be honest it noone elses business what happens in the prison or in court what so ever. I think we should all just foreget about him, because he is just a man with very big issues, theres no need to go on about it, this happened over 20 years ago now, we just need to move on and when he does die we will all know; but at least we are all safe in the world and we dont have to worry about him and just some info he will be killed in a gas chamber.

Truthfully, I feel that anyone who has a problem with the death penalty, should support these scumbags with their own paycheck. Not mine!! These people were found guilty, get it over with and be done with it. I'm not bothered in the least about whether or not these scumbags sitting in a little cell for years might be uncomfortable. I'm pissed because they're still there and we're paying for them!! I feel they should be taken out behind the court house immediately after sentencing and shot in the head!! You think that's too mean? Too cruel? Well perhaps you wouldn't mind bringing these poor criminals home with YOU and giving them a nice fluffy bed at your house...maybe a nice room next to your kids. Or maybe you could sign over a portion of your check every month to make sure one of these poor, misguided, scumbags is treated with all the dignity and humanity you think they deserve. Kind of like an "adopt a death row inmate for life" program.

This monster murdered and raped innocent people and he sat in court laughing. He has admitted his murders. What the F*&* are we doing to ourselves here??? These people should be hung in the streets for other "would be" murderers to see? What is the deterrent for these murderers today? There is none. If you are lonely, poor and sick you just kill and you will be on the front page of every news paper, clothed, fed and given a free education with a new wife to boot?

The law system is rotten to the core. This is why people are starting to arm themselves. We cant trust the police anymore and if we are so lucky to avoid getting killed by one of these monsters and they get caught, they will most likely get out of prison until they are caught in the act...

So yes, the death penalty is important. It is truly disgusting that these people are kept alive by our tax dollars and get the privileges they do. They even get free health care when someone not in prison may get rejected.... Enough is enough... People need to start pushing for justice and end this madness....

First, one of the reasons some of these killers aren't executed right away anymore, is because through DNA, they are finding a lot of people innocent of crimes they were accused of. Second, Ramirez, Peterson and others like them make money for the prisons, sadly, they probably aren't going anywhere soon.

people like Richard Ramirez does not deserve nor have peace inside the prison, should go straight to implementation as experienced much more than he should, he deserves what he did to his victims happen to him daily. die soon!

Why is this coward still alive? He killed people asleep, an cried like a baby when caught and beaten up. He raped elderly women. The sad part is the women who idolize him; real saddo's.
Kill him NOW, and put an end to this evil git!
in light

Richard Ramirez was a very misunderstood man his whole life, not just when he killed all those people I do think that miguel his cousin aka mike had a lot to do with a lot of Ricardos behavioral problems and the development in his teen years. He worshiped satan because he thought that god wouldn't ever approve of his actions but he thought hey wait a minute satan would. so then the coke he started injected only made his subconscious mind go wild and his compulsions to kill heightened.

Lucky for him I'm not running the show, within an hour of being found guilty he would have been down to the local zoo and fed to the lions, that way he would have been some use to society. Think of all the meals he has eaten over the years that could have been fed to the genuine needy, Think of all the oxygen he has used up over the years that he had no right to. I don't understand why the death penalty is in place but not used as it should be, he should be offered the same right of appeal as his victims, when sentence is passed it should be carried out straight away. He and many like him are a waste of space and oxygen thieves.

This may have happened 20 years ago, and you say get over it-but will his victims and their families ever get over it - I don't think so.
If a family dog so much as bites a person that dog is put down - this animal is worse than a dog so the death penalty is too good for him.

I'm from Ca, I thought that the death penalty was an abstract concept. I didn't think it was ever a real thing. Imagine my surprise when I got married and moved to TX in 1983. It seemed like they put someone to death every other week. It was a little shocking.
I believe as long as there is good hard evidence, eyewitness, DNA or something like that, then the death penalty is a good thing. I'm a little nervous about someone being put to death that was innocent and proven to be too late by DNA or whatever means.
Monsters like those people should never be allowed back into society for sure! And they should pay for what they have done.
CA surprised me when they executed Robert Harris. Him and his brother killed those 2 boys in 1979 and the execution was in 1992. I really didn't believe CA would ever do it. I hope it brought some sort of closure for the families of the 2 boys they killed.
Who knows how long it will be before they get around to Ramirez. Honestly, he's so weird, I'm a little surprised that no one has killed him in prison. Too bad, it would save the taxpayers a lot of $$$. It sure would be nice if the system would pick up the pace.

What the ****, they should just kill him already I mean I wish death penalties wouldn't take this ******* long. what the hell he did this over 20 years ago and that ************ still isn't dead!!!! It just angers me so much!!!

Man. This is the same country that thinks it's a Christian nation. I am not a Christian, but I just can't bring myself to howl for this man's blood. His crimes were sickening. Nothing will bring the victims back. But it won't make me any happier to see him die than to know that he is rotting in a cell for the rest of his life. Give it a rest, people. You are making yourselves out to be almost as bad as he is. I sure wouldn't want to meet any of you in a dark alley.

Death penalty is no worse than what the killers did in the first place. Too cruel? I think the serial killers and psychopaths believe in this, it is what they think of as normal, let's give them what they hand out, make their dreams come true. What do you do with a bad part or a rotted apple? Do you keep it and hope it will become good again? Or do you eliminate it from the batch? Of course you look at your process and change the things that made the apple go off. But no sane society keeps evil close by sustaining it and pampering it and making possible every opportunity for evil to return into the midst of what is good and useful.

I've read the book and seen videos of r.m and it was a great read. heart goes out to the victims family and it was wrong what he did but i am very fascinated by him... I'm very into the way serial killers think. and those who want see him executed are no better than he is. you obviously have part of you who likes to see people die to.

i just spent 3 hours reading about Ramirez. i agree with the Australian, our court system is flawed. but we're stubborn Americans. a young country that still needs time to develop. they will die sooner or later, no matter if they rot in prison, rot in a casket, rot in hell.

first of all you sick ******* your not his type he prefers 60 to 89 year olds so get over it. not only that but come on now get real if he did hit it he would just rob you after and leave you with nothing to remember him by but a sorry ol' slash in in the throat (lol)! what kind of cheap ****** are you.....obviously someone needs a hug. my sympathy to all the victims of this clearly emotionally retarded man! by the way that ***** owes me sum money........ time to start taxing that *** no offense hopefully taken lol

Hopefully he will be executed soon. He's been in prison too long breathing.He killed a co-'s mother of mine.The anguish that he and his family went through was horrible.The lady he killed was Dorothy Nelson.There has been no justice for her and this psychopaths other victims.The lady who married Ramirez is obviuously not playing with a fulldeck.And if she takes her life when he's executed then we will be a safer community.

Richard Ramirez is more likely to die of old age, or natural causes than being put to death. California rarely puts people to death. So if you wanna get away with murder, do it here. Scott Peterson is alive and well living in San Quentin. He will die of old age too

Being as Richard Ramirez and hundreds of other lower life forms sitting on death row have taken the lives of their victims and caused the victims family's oceans of grief, I feel that it's about time these scumbags give something back! Being as they will eventually be put to death, yet until that day comes our tax dollars are feeding them and paying for health care to keep them in good health, all the information from their medical records should be put into a database and given to the organization that deals with organ donations! We should start looking at the scumbags on death row as a warehouse of healthy organs being kept fresh and healthy until someone needs a transplant to keep them alive and live a normal life. There are thousands of sick people on waiting lists praying for an organ to become available before they die! So in a sense, these law abiding people are also on death row! So why not use the one's that made the choices they did that landed them on death row to to get one or more good people off of their death row?

Bottom line.... Parts are Parts! There's a whole warehouse of good parts that our tax dollars is maintaining! It's time we put them to a good use!

Truthfully, I feel that anyone who has a problem with the death penalty, should support these scumbags with their own paycheck. Not mine!! These people were found guilty, get it over with and be done with it. I'm not bothered in the least about whether or not these scumbags sitting in a little cell for years might be uncomfortable. I'm pissed because they're still there and we're paying for them!! I feel they should be taken out behind the court house immediately after sentencing and shot in the head!! You think that's too mean? Too cruel? Well perhaps you wouldn't mind bringing these poor criminals home with YOU and giving them a nice fluffy bed at your house...maybe a nice room next to your kids. Or maybe you could sign over a portion of your check every month to make sure one of these poor, misguided, scumbags is treated with all the dignity and humanity you think they deserve. Kind of like an "adopt a death row inmate for life" program.

You know, if we stopped putting people in jail for drugs, we would have plenty of room and money to house a**hats like Peterson for the remainder of there lives.
Execution is not the best punishment, in fact for a lot of people they welcome it. It is spending the rest of their lives in a coffin that gives them plenty of time to ponder and suffer.

This worthless reprobate should be fertilizing the earth... I'm not proud of my own animalistic side, but I'd really enjoy knowing that he were feeling the same kind of fear that precedes his victims death on the night before his execution.

You know, if we stopped putting people in jail for drugs, we would have plenty of room and money to house a**hats like Peterson for the remainder of there lives.
Execution is not the best punishment, in fact for a lot of people they welcome it. It is spending the rest of their lives in a coffin that gives them plenty of time to ponder and suffer.

I say let em rot and beg for there life.

Well, Jim...that's what jails are for; people who commit crimes. However, it should be only for those who commit crimes which are not deemed worthy of the death penalty. Those who are tried, convicted and sentenced death, should receive their sentence swiftly.

As for those who are not sentenced to death; I feel their time served following their first conviction (depending on severity of the crime) should be in a "normal" jail or prison (minimum to maximum security, again depending on the individual and the crime committed). Serve your time peacefully, quietly, learn from your mistake(s) and don't come back. Repeat offenders should be given mandatory HARD labor in a work camp which does work that is beneficial to the general populace. Their stay in this work camp should be such that they will NEVER want to come back.

What happened to the 3 strikes law? 3 strikes and we start over?? Most people can manage to go through their whole lives without going to jail while others can't even manage to stay out? It used to be that we'd banish those individuals to the wilderness which usually resulted, for all intents and purposes, in a death sentence. Jails and prisons are for reform! They aren't hotels and being a prisoner is not a lifestyle.

I would even be willing to compromise with those who believe that the process of following through with a death sentence should be allowed to take 10 plus years (just to make sure they're really guilty) if you'd agree that it should be 10 plus years of HARD, MISERABLE (yet beneficial to the general populace) labor. At least then, they'd be earning their own keep. They should spend each day wishing they had been given a swift death.

1st scott petterson is not dead. how you came up with this idea is beyond me. he is on san quinten death row i live in australia and i know this. california does not execute inmates to often as they have a lack of lawyers wanting to do appeal cases. so a death sentence basically means sit here and die. i think the standard average is 20 years for a inmate and with over 700 people in one jail awaiting execution trust me scott peterson who has been in jail for 5 years is going nowhere fast. what a **** he is.

As for richard ramirez. he is a **** to. a and a ugly ****. his failed attempts to make himself cool with his dodgy drawn pentograms is laughable. he killed women in bed. what a tough guy hey. not hard to be tough when your weeling a loaded gun in someones face in bed.

neither of these guys could die soon enough. sad part is these pricks get all the attention and notoriety. shame we dont uphold the victims of rape torture and murder so high in society. americas laws are flawed, either execute the guilty or give up the death penalty. your own constitution out rules cruel and unusual punishment . deal with that conundrum. your all gun mad i have no sympathy for killers killing killers. lol. in australia we used to execute a man with in 30 days of his sentence or it was deemed cruel and unusual punishment to have a man sit for over 20 years in a 8 ft by 4 ft cell and beg for his life through your court system. these animals took innocent life guilty by D.N.A and a jury of there peers. what more do you want ? your nation of america is flawed out dated and the only apparent civalised country to execute people. and you want to think your world leaders. lol. you guys are faliures at all costs. we got the bomb mentality. **** america nad **** your sick double standard court system. u have no justice if i lived there id be real worried. hey guess what these two guys arent black so no one will kill them soon. and you ******* know it. p.s im white and australian. i stand for all colours and justice for all.

Dean, you're a fruit cake! I can see what you're saying as far as carrying out a punishment swiftly but the rest? Really? Every country has it's problems and no country is perfect, however, I feel America is about as close as you'll ever get and there's NO PLACE I'd rather live! So don't start bagging on my country Nancy-boy...get a life.

There is NO way I would want one of his organs in MY body!! Energy my friend... But I do think that we should be doing medical testing on them !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guest

Being as Richard Ramirez and hundreds of other lower life forms sitting on death row have taken the lives of their victims and caused the victims family's oceans of grief, I feel that it's about time these scumbags give something back! Being as they will eventually be put to death, yet until that day comes our tax dollars are feeding them and paying for health care to keep them in good health, all the information from their medical records should be put into a database and given to the organization that deals with organ donations! We should start looking at the scumbags on death row as a warehouse of healthy organs being kept fresh and healthy until someone needs a transplant to keep them alive and live a normal life. There are thousands of sick people on waiting lists praying for an organ to become available before they die! So in a sense, these law abiding people are also on death row! So why not use the one's that made the choices they did that landed them on death row to to get one or more good people off of their death row?

Bottom line.... Parts are Parts! There's a whole warehouse of good parts that our tax dollars is maintaining! It's time we put them to a good use!

When he dies the evil spirits he harbors will leave his body and jump into someone else. They need a body to carry out Satan's acts on earth.
I truly believe he invited these spirits in when very young. He opened a door to them and made a conscious choice. I am PRO DEATH PENALTY. If you read the Book of Deuteronomy you will be astounded at the crimes that called for the death penalty in ancient Israel. The Lord God enacted these laws to keep EVIL OUT and at bay. He will judge every human that has ever lived on 'that day'. Ramirez cannot repent. He is what Scripture calls a goat and a tare, to be burned in the furnace, to live out consciously his eternal life sentence in the Lake of Fire. I am praying for his death and this may sound cruel but too bad.
This man's hands did sinful and evil acts beyond comprehension. They should have been cut off. I am sorry the people who subdued him before his arrest did not finish the job and kill him. Satan gave him a reprieve there but it will run out.
We have gone astray as a nation and our criminal justice system is a travesty of wickedness.

Russia... admit death, 1 appeal, 45 caliber to the back of the head. I wouldn't want to live there, but they have the right idea, especially when the crime is admitted/confessed? Obviously, people are still shook up over this idiot. Wy should we still have to endure this chickens#%t? God doesn't want him.. Send him to his master. Now. I volunteer!!! its not inhumane to put a dog down. As for those bleeding hearts who say convictions are overturned on DNA all of the time?? Dumb@sses, those people did not admit their crime and already have DNA evidence against them????? DUH. the peoples republic of California is already in financial straights.. Lets save a few bucks and get this over with already.

Hopefully he will be executed soon. He's been in prison too long breathing.He killed a co-'s mother of mine.The anguish that he and his family went through was horrible.The lady he killed was Dorothy Nelson.There has been no justice for her and this psychopaths other victims.The lady who married Ramirez is obviuously not playing with a fulldeck.And if she takes her life when he's executed then we will be a safer community.

There was no Ramirez victim named Dorothy Nelson...you mean Joyce Lucille Nelson?

Man. This is the same country that thinks it's a Christian nation. I am not a Christian, but I just can't bring myself to howl for this man's blood. His crimes were sickening. Nothing will bring the victims back. But it won't make me any happier to see him die than to know that he is rotting in a cell for the rest of his life. Give it a rest, people. You are making yourselves out to be almost as bad as he is. I sure wouldn't want to meet any of you in a dark alley.

For those who are interested in the topic of Capital Punishment, follow this link to some interesting information about executions in the United States. Regarding California, here are the relevant stats:

There are currently 697 inmates on death row, meanwhile only 13 people have been executed since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty. Capital punishment (read: legal fees) costs tax payers $114 million per year above and beyond the costs of incarceration. That's roughly $250 million per execution.

Compare this to Texas, with 337 current death row inmates, a state that has executed 464 people since '76. Per execution the extra costs (beyond incarceration, specifically legal fees) are $2.3 million, 100-fold lower than California. I think we may refer to this as an economy of scale?

Hey Dean. To make a long story short, you are an egotistical, arrogant Australian f***!! We here in the U.S. states enjoy the best possible legal system available. Is it perfect? Of course not! No legal system is, including your homeland's. I'm 100% in favor that scumbags like Ramirez are put to death.

Richard Ramirez did horrible things. But seriously people he's been on death row for 20 years now. I'm sure he has had a long time to think about the things he's done. I'm sure there isn't a day that goes by he doesn't get flash backs. I think that's worse then getting injected, there is no pain in that. Pain is having to deal with the hauntings of his victims for the rest of your life. Personally i have a huge fascination with him. We write each other letters every month.

Frankly, I'm all for "creative justice" as mentioned above. when found guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, murderers, and rapists should be tortured. Something extreme and slow. They lose all rights as human beings (let alone citizens) when they choose to do such extreme damage to innocents. The death penalty should be off the table . . . but if they happen to die while being tortured, so be it. Make them suffer. Make them scream.

I think it is going to happen soon but if it doesn't..f**k it. I think people should just get over it. It happened 20 years and if they died then it was their time to go.. Oh well, everybody has to die one day and in fact we should be jealous of the dead since they get to be free from this f*****d up world!

To everybody who gets a chance to read this post please remember this"those who not have sinned be the first to throw the stone". It is up to God to forgive Richard for his crimes. Yes, our courts can make a judgment and carry out a sentence,but ultimately the final judgment is up to God.

Jeffrey Dahmer got baptized 6 months b4 he got murdered in prison, just imagine that. God appreciates confession of 1 lost sheep compared to people who already worship him. If i murdered somebody, I would not apologize to the family or friends of victim, because really if i was sorry i never would have done it in the first place think about it.

I think a lot of really good people end up in hell because they cannot forgive themselves. Even when the Jewish peoples were crucifying Jesus even he said "God please forgive them for they not know what they do". So when people say for Richard he sits in court and laughs about his crimes think to yourselves he not knows what he did. Being aware and knowing are 2 different things.

In his frame of mind, Richard really not knew what he did. Hate feeds on hate, so if somebody hates another for their acts, they are no better than the person who did the crime. As humans, it is our nature to judge one another but remember if everybody was so wonderful God would have allowed us humans to build the tower of babel. This is why we are here<> and god is there ^ because we are not good enough to be in his presence.

Maybe watch some documentaries on crude oil and where it is dumped and how that effects the peoples living in those areas, and watch about Congo and Rwanda, watch about how overfishing effects extinction of wildlife, and watch Alex Houston on 9/11 and Mike Rupert speak about the economy, watch about how lack of recycling effects pollution in the oceans.

These things, my friends, are the very true evils of the world, and are things that we people as a society are contributing to our own downfall of Eco system in the future.

Whether Richard Ramirez lives or dies doesn't really concern me as long as he never gets out. What fascinates me is the psychology of the women (and men I suppose) who seek out this man, and men like him, for personal relationships. I know we can be glib and say.... they're stupid, sick, pathetic etc. but I for one would really like to know what makes these people tick.

In England we have no death penalty. I'm undecided on whether I agree with the death penalty or not. One the one hand anyone in prison for a long period of time is just wasting tax payers money on a huge scale! They get free health care and are usually seen to first. In England people in prison (short and long term) get lots of benefits, free education (while the government are trying to put tuition fees up to 9k!) t.v 24 hours a day. I could go on. So when you look at it like thatÖ get rid of them!

But sending them straight to death is them getting off a touch easy as far as Iím concerned. Its human rights gone mad, prison should be hard time, inmates should be made to work. Back to the original point of Richard Remirez I also think that most of his issues can be put on the company he kept as a teenager! His cousin Mike shot and killed his own wife in front of Richard when he was just 12.

Donít get me wrong I am not making excuses for this man, he done terrible things, but maybe with help things could have been different. As things stand I think that he should be put to death heís spent a long time on death row and itís now just costing the US money.

As for the comments towards his fans and his now wife I think that they are strange women but surely they cannot deny his crimes, and canít agree with what he done. Iíve read that people find him attractive so maybe most of these women donít know about his crimes but think that heís good lookingÖ. I havenít read too much on his fans to be honest!

In 30 days, the world would be a better place if executions were held daily in all States. They pretty much know better for what they did. What good are they to society anyway.

Knowing that more than 200 innocent people have been exonerated after having spent years on death row for murders they did not commit, you are advocating killing these people on a regular basis? That is what they do in places like Iran and North Korea. If that is your idea of justice, try living in one of those places and see if you still feel that way.

In 1976, SCOTUS Justice John Paul Stevens cast a vote to uphold the death penalty. In his 35 years on the bench, that was the only decision he regrets. He says that he could not foresee how that decision would be interpreted. At the time, the justices felt they had built in safeguards to ensure that the pool of defendants sentenced to death would be small. But the Court continuously expanded the number of offenses that would make someone eligible for the death penalty. "ďthe court constantly expanded the cases eligible for the death penalty, so that the underlying premise for my vote has disappeared." (see http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/justice-stevens-i-regret-the-death-penalty/capital-punishment/).

I have seen that in my own practice. An person of color robs a convenience store and shoots a white person and is sentenced to death. A man tortures and murders a prostitute and gets a life sentence. A white man beats to death his ex-wife and he gets 25 to life. Sentencing is a very arbitrary thing. Capital punishment was originally intended to be used only in heinous and extreme cases, such as in the case of a Ted Bundy or a Richard Ramirez. But that isn't how it is applied.

I agree with those who support its abolition. Victim families feel cheated if an offender is not sentenced to death. That is NOT its purpose. There should not be a caste system through which some victims have more worth than others. But that is what is happening. Death is sought in high profile cases when police and prosecutors want to further their careers. That is a complete distortion and the antithesis of justice. It just isn't possible for humans to use a tool like capital punishment fairly and impartially. We have the ability to put offenders away for life without parole. That costs the tax payers less than capital cases. But, once again, we should limit that to cases where the offenders truly have no potential for rehabilitation. That pursuit has been all but abandoned. People are incarcerated under conditions where they are locked up 23 out of 24 hours per day, with little or no human contact. When they are released they are nothing more than savages. What do we expect when we build in prison conditions guaranteed to harden them? For some reason we have almost no ability to temper justice with fairness and common sense.

We need to join the community of nations that have joined together and banned capital punishment AND draconian punishment out of respect for human rights.

Quote: posted by guest:
"A person of color robs a convenience store and shoots a white person and is sentenced to death. A man tortures and murders a prostitute and gets a life sentence. A white man beats to death his ex-wife and he gets 25 to life."
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I watch a lot of true crime shows (morbid fascination I think) and I must agree. Justice may be blind but she is not colour blind.

Truthfully, I feel that anyone who has a problem with the death penalty, should support these scumbags with their own paycheck. Not mine!!

It costs more to execute them than to house em, hell, even the trials themselves cost more for death penalty cases.. you paying?

Think about it, the prison will still be standing there, guards still walking the halls, food still being prepared... its not like the state is paying for a maid service or a 'nice fluffy bed' or something lol. But on death row, they have their own room, more guards, etc. "CLOSING DEATH ROW WOULD SAVE STATE $90 MILLION A YEAR," Sacramento Bee, March 28, 1988" <-- yes, that says 1988! Wonder what the costs are NOW? Want to know more about the REAL story of death row? Here is where I got my info...

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty

Execution won't bring back the victims. As long as he's off the streets, you are safe.

It's strange, the anger that I see otherwise 'normal' people exhibit, leading you to wish death on another human being is quite an amazing thing. It's the exact same rage that the killers felt (and felt justified for), even though THEIR anger originated in madness.

I'm not saying I am for OR against the death penalty, but I'm a little tired of the hypocrisy surrounding the subject. Killing is either OK, or its not. Make a decision, then STICK TO IT.

You wanna kill him? Cool! Do it because that is the designated punishment, not because you feel righteous or because you feel like he is 'evil' and its 'what he deserves'.

Think killing is wrong? Ok, great! Then don't make 'this one exception' about the death penalty.

And seriously? Someone recommended torture for these guys? So apparently, UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES, torture is okay? And who makes those rules?

People also feel differently about the death penalty when they think of someone they love awaiting their execution. Why? Because they realize that people can do awful things, but there is usually a human being hidden somewhere underneath those crimes. A real person.

And yet, we are so quick to do the one thing that most serial killers do to their victims... DEPERSONALIZE. They are 'monsters', 'sub-human', 'non-deserving of human rights'.... way to stoop right to the level you say is so vile.

I don't understand why this monster is still alive. What is taking so long to execute him? It's not right and unfair to the families of his victims that he's still alive to this day. How much long before the victim's families sees justice done. If it is at all possible they should transfer him to Huntsville State Penitentiary in Texas. They'll speed up the process over there.

Richard Ramirez was a very misunderstood man his whole life, not just when he killed all those people I do think that miguel his cousin aka mike had a lot to do with a lot of Ricardos behavioral problems and the development in his teen years. He worshiped satan because he thought that god wouldn't ever approve of his actions but he thought hey wait a minute satan would. so then the coke he started injected only made his subconscious mind go wild and his compulsions to kill heightened.

Who gives a rat's a** that he had problems. I don't have to point out the obvious here. You are either an id iot or very misunderstood.

And yet, we are so quick to do the one thing that most serial killers do to their victims... DEPERSONALIZE. They are 'monsters', 'sub-human', 'non-deserving of human rights'.... way to stoop right to the level you say is so vile.

I believe killing is not ok in general, but I think there is justification in killing someone who is known to be guilty of taking another person's life without "a very well known and understood reason". Example: being repeatedly tortured and raped and then you end up killing the person as you escape.

I believe if that is found to be the case then that would be a "known and understood reason" to kill and therefore justifiable. I think that murder should be taken on a case by case basis and if it is found through evidence to be an understandable reason then it should have much lower consequences.

If on the other hand you kill and rape and rob for pleasure and profit a much worse crime has been committed. I am absolutely fine with DEPERSONALIZING someone who commits crimes with those motives in mind and I believe they are not deserving or rights or a continued existence. I don't understand people who make a single rule like killing is always wrong and apply it to every single case where someone dies. Motive and Intent how can you claim those things don't matter? Just my opinion and for the record I am not a Christian!

To those who are against the death penalty ponder this. These killers do not value life, they surely didn't when they killed their victims. They never stopped to think that what they were doing to others was cruel or unusual punishment. Some posters said executing killers is no different from them killing their victims.

I wonder if you would still feel like that if they took "your" little 5 year old girl shoveled their penis in all of her openings slit her throat, left her for dead in a deserted field or swamp like a piece of trash. The families of the victims cannot just "get over it" if you think they can then you also do not value life and have the same mentality of these killers.

The victims families can not get their loved ones back, but knowing that the KILLER has 3 square meals, a bed, a roof over their head, health care, etc at their expense is a second injustice. Killers chose to kill their victims yet their families & victims did not have a choice to live thanks to the killer.

NO killer can be reformed period, therefore they serve no purpose.
If we executed these worthless beings in a timely fashion it would take care of over crowding.

I myself like the organ donor listing as someone suggested and go a step further with it, set it up so they are harvested on the anniversary they killed their victim. Otherwise, use them for finding cures to horrible diseases like cancer and aids vs. lab rats and other innocent 4 legged animals.

You guys are faliures at all costs. we got the bomb mentality. **** america nad **** your sick double standard court system. u have no justice if i lived there id be real worried. hey guess what these two guys arent black so no one will kill them soon. and you ******* know it. p.s im white and australian. i stand for all colours and justice for all.

Who the hell are you to deem what is considered cruel and unusual torture? First off who gives a flying hoot on what y'all in Aussie do? There is a reason the United States of America is deemed a super-power and Australia is not. Also to my knowledge Ramirez was not considered guilty via DNA. He had a fingerprint that was left on all cases.

Also, he is stationed at San Quentin State Prison. If anything they do not have him executed yet because of the fact that it is considered "cruel and unusual torture." San Quentin is known for housing some of the most deadly criminals. It is known to house Charles Manson, Rodney Alcala, and others.

Copied from clarkprosecuter.org "The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a combination of three drugs. The first, sodium thiopental or sodium pentothal, is a barbiturate that renders the prisoner unconscious. The second, pancuronium bromide, is a muscle relaxant that paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs. The third, potassium chloride, causes cardiac arrest. Each chemical is lethal in the amounts administered."

It is to my understanding that either the Sodium Thiopental or Sodium Pentothal might not render the patient unconscious, as it is thought, but instead bring them into a paralyzed awareness, where they cannot state if they are aware or not. Potassium Chloride is an extremely painful chemical, hence the other chemicals that are given before it. This is why it might be considered cruel and unusual torture.

My personal opinion, let the f***** rot in there. He killed 14 people, and raped several others. To be honest I could care less, as long as he got what he deserves. Some people deserve worse than death, and most inmates who are in segregation will state that it is worse than death.

With any luck, executions will resume in California. How can these appeals go on for 20+ years. Ramirez was a sexual sadist. The only way he got off was to torture others.

He had difficulty getting it up when he tried to rape several of his victims. I would volunteer to put the needle in his arm. I will be at San Quentin the night he is put down. He is a cockroach...like Stayner, Davis, Peterson...the whole bunch.

We have gone astray as a nation and our criminal justice system is a travesty of wickedness.

Were you born in the middle ages?

Is swift justice too difficult to understand?

It's as simple as putting down a sick animal, he's not fit to live in civilized company. Oh and 20 odd years is plenty of time to be sure someone is 100% guilty. Richard Ramirez has been through the appeals system several times and repeatedly had his conviction upheld. Just remove him from society permanently and stop tax payers funding his existence. Simple!

I am shocked at the people who are drawn to this person. We have all had hard knocks in our lives. At least I have. That doesn't excuse me for acting out and killing people. At some point as we grow up, we become responsible for our actions. I feel terrible for the victims that have suffered so greatly and the deaths that resulted from this man.

I think a preventative measure in future would be an action oriented approach to focus on getting these people help when they are kids. I wonder how no one noticed his behavior all of these years. It couldn't have been silent prior to these murders that he committed.

Like Charles Manson, they seem to keep these people alive because of the media attention that they receive.

I think serial killers are fascinating I would love to meet one! I have mixed feelings about the death penalty it's like justifying killing people. Serial killers clearly have different thinking processes than the general public. I believe its the absence of something but nevertheless I love learning about them. Richard was a hottie! I don't know if he still is.

Any decent human being, not a perfect person, but an overall decent person, does not glorify a man who took advantage of an elderly women while they were defenseless in their beds...not to mention messing with kids! This animal sodomized and mutilated his victims....SO, yeah, go ahead and say this THING is cool or your hero; because that's real cute isn't it?! I guess people who don't fit into society glorify and worship the scum they relate to.

R.M. is married...blahahahaha.....I'm sure she's a real gem; after all, don't all the cool girls go for deformed looking sociopaths? OH WAIT...I'm sure he's just another misunderstood person, and she understands him.
The big tough guy who slashed defenseless people should take the "needle" like a real man.

And what does it matter if he had issues growing up...who doesn't?! I think we all know a few people who have lived through horrific childhoods and not committed horrendous crimes.
I wonder if he ever got his teeth fixed...his drug habit, and chronic candy eating, rotted his teeth, and trust me his breath smells like decomposing flesh. I'm sure California paid for all his dental work too!
If R.M. had an ounce of remorse he would've taken his own life by now.

Execution is BARBARIC no matter how you look at it. Granted, people like Ramirez are barbaric themselves and committed horrendous crimes - but passing a death penalty on these people only makes the system just as barbaric as the criminal. I wonder how many judges and jury would administer the lethal injection on the people they "feel" they have the right to kill. I know people will say "what about the victims rights" and i do understand the anger of victims family's and the feeling they want revenge for what has happened to a loved one.

Personally, I would rather them rot away in an 8 x 4 cell and suffer every single day knowing that that is what they face day in day out. Death seems the easier option to me. The American justice system itself is outdated, wastes an incredible amount of taxpayers money with what seems an endless "appeal" system that is just to slow. It makes me chuckle when you see a judge sentence someone to 460 years for crimes - how f**kin silly is that, or pass 13 death sentences on someone - it sounds just as silly as the whole silly system - how many times can you kill someone?

Solitary confinement with no visits , letters or contact with the outside world etc until death sounds a decent punishment for these people. Here in England the death penalty was abolished in 1963 and leaves the USA as what I would call the only civilized society who continues to support execution. Punishment here in the UK is to lenient, LIFE generally means 15 years and you can get that down to 10 years if your a model prisoner - joke isn't it.

So the USA have it right with Life means Life or at least 50 years or so, but the execution policy is barbaric an should be abolished. One other interesting point - states in the USA that don't have the death penalty have a lower murder rate than states that do have the death penalty! seems the death penalty isn't a deterrent after all.

20 some years ago I was living Hollywood Ca. Small acting gigs respectable modeling etc that is how I got by. One night walking down Highland a police helicopter hovered about 30 ft above my head. Police drove up jumped out of the car and I got the typical "welcome to LA treatment" from the police.

Seems the cops were looking for a Latin White male ,that is all they had on him at the time. Barely grown or not I called my mom. She brought high-school records birth certificate. social security # and a hells fire attitude. They let me go, got a few apologies. Seemed at the time it was a dangerous thing to be half Latin and half white. Now being Catholic and all I am not to cool with the death penalty. I sure will not miss him though.

Look, this guy killed basically because he thought killing was a sport like fishing or hunting, racing or baseball. He did it because he willingly wanted to kill and felt pleasure during the killings. Whether he should be execute or not, that is the state's concern, if California and Hollywood think he is a tourist attraction like Manson, well he is not. My humble opinion is that he should be left in the middle of the dessert in Africa or in the Amazons forest in Brazil with a 16oz bottle of water and a gun with only one bullet. People like him should not be payed any attention at all, they should be ignored by the media and by everyone, how can one admire a man who enjoyed to kill?

How can one desire to kill? or to feel pleasure watching an execution? One thing we should not do is do the same that he did. The United States should make a profit out of this criminals, they should put them in gladiator fights, in battles of life and death, the reward should be no death row but to rot in prison, if this were done half of the death row mates would die in legal to death fights, pay-per view would gain a lot of profit and instead of citizens paying taxes for this well maintained pricks who knows maybe one of the family members of the victim may win a millionairess bet or given a percentage of the profit by fight. It would be nice to bring to life a little of the Roman empire justice.

Or another idea is to take their organs and donate them, or even better use those criminals in human experimentation programs, or use them in military training fights in which one could be the ass of a serial killer just for training purposes. Why make the life of those sick serial killer bastards easy, when we could use them for many nasty things, hell they could even make a slavery law for serial killers, who gives a ****, if they didn't give a **** when they raped and kill, Why should we give a **** about them? I'm just saying we could make a whole bunch of interesting stuff with those humans, just because they have dedicated their life to evil and doom does not mean one can not do anything with them, maybe who knows if they could be used for something economically useful, in which they would truly be punished like they should while others benefit from the foes of other. Maybe one day serial killer gladiator fights could turn out to be a multi-billion industry that rescues the GDP- debt of the United States, hell maybe a multinational industry from many serial killers around the world.

The Americans are thirsty for justice and action why not give it to them, maybe the Texans should be lecturing Californians about how to deal with death rows. California is the worst state ever, judges have no guts, they just sit in a chair and wonder what their are going to do, go out drink coffee, show off on a Ferrari, while people just wait for true, and crude justice, JUSTICE OF TRUE GRIT. Vengeance is not the solution, but PUNISHMENT always takes care of things.

Richard Ramirez did horrible things. But seriously people he's been on death row for 20 years now. I'm sure he has had a long time to think about the things he's done. I'm sure there isn't a day that goes by he doesn't get flash backs. I think that's worse then getting injected, there is no pain in that. Pain is having to deal with the hauntings of his victims for the rest of your life. Personally i have a huge fascination with him. We write each other letters every month.

Try reading The Last Victim by Jason Moss who corresponded with Ramirez in the mid-90's. Richard has flashbacks alright but to him, they are fond memories not the tortured remorse you seem to think he has. He drew Jason some really lovely pictures of a mutilated woman with some song captions under them like "I go to pieces" and "over here, over there" with little music notes around them. I don't know what the letters you get from him contain but the letters in Jason's book sound like he enjoyed every bit of what he did and would do it again if he could.

I for one am for the death penalty. However, I am not for them being executed instantly because of how many innocent people are on death row. The West Memphis 3 were convicted of the murder of 3 young boys. A murder they were innocent of. Damien Echols was 19 at the time and was sentenced to death. The other 2 were under 18 so they got life plus 40 years. Recently they have been released because the DNA evidence did not match the 3 guys convicted of the murders. They are now home with their families. Yes we all know Richard killed these people and deserves the death penalty and yes he should be executed soon, but you have to have the process of appeals or else people like Damien Echols who missed out on their whole life (he was on death row for 18 years) would have been murdered for a crime he was innocent of.

All of you stu*** people have always sympathy for the Victims.
Why do you think about the other Side - the Side of the Man how killed...
Do you wanna see him die, if you know the Murderer...because he is a family member or a good friend of yours?
Think about it...

As a friend of Richards who hears from him on a weekly basis, its strange to read the things people write about him. Since we have a personal relationship my opinion of him and his future is probably not the same as the way you look at it.

Though I care about him and have love for him like I would any friend, I never forget that he has done some horrible things in his life. If he was executed tomorrow I would be sad to have our friendship end, but I would know that he deserved it. He is OK with whatever the outcome is. If he dies an old man in there, then that's the way it ends.

If he is executed someday, then he is ready for it and he is not scared to die. Having a close friend on death row has not changed my opinion on the death penalty. I support it whole heartedly, even for Richard. Though I would be broken hearted to lose him, I know that the families of his victims are also heartbroken over their loss. I am sure I will be tore apart by all of you by saying I love him and he is my friend, but I really don't care. I am proud to be his friend, he is still a person. Still a human being, and people can be forgiven.

Or maybe you could sign over a portion of your check every month to make sure one of these poor, misguided, scumbags is treated with all the dignity and humanity you think they deserve. Kind of like an "adopt a death row inmate for life" program.

I could not agree more! After a jury of your piers finds you guilty, why do we the people have to foot the bill for killers? If only people would have followed God's law....I feel these acts would cease to exist.

Richard Ramirez should not be executed.
He had severe childhood trauma. When he was in his mothers womb she was breathing toxic chemicals at her place of work. he was abused by his dad. He witnessed his cousin mike shoot his wife, Richard Ramirez began to use drugs and became violent because he was a victim!!i know him, he is a lot more than a serial killer. before his soul was ripped from him he played football and was cute and smart.

His childhood friends said he was funny! Nobody knows what ge went though. I do not condone murder, but he was a victim, women tend to be more forgiving and drawn to bad boys, but richard was a victim no matter what you think... he was a tortured soul. I think he is multiple personalities, he is not devoid from having feelings, he is not exactly a sociopath.

So then the coke he started injected only made his subconscious mind go wild and his compulsions to kill heightened.

True, I am sure his cousin Mike had something to do with the way Richard thought, but that is NO excuse for the horribly brutal things that he did to innocent people! There are plenty of people who have been through horrible childhoods that have grown into wonderful adults who do not hurt innocent people, and who may even use their own awful experiences to help others. I have no sympathy for someone this (self) admittedly evil.

Jodie, a lot of people grow up abused and witnessing horrible atrocities, yet do not end up slaughtering innocent people themselves. While his upbringing was not certainly not idyllic, it should not be used as an excuse and does not excuse him from his abominable crimes. Many people have had far worse childhoods and have gone on to lead productive lives. You're using his childhood to mitigate the heinous actions he took as an adult. If the courts used the same logic you're attempting to use, we would have anarchy, as no one would ever be guilty of anything. There comes a point when adults must take individual responsibility for their actions. I understand though that it's far easier to place blame than to be accountable for oneself.

That being said, I'm against the death penalty. Even though Ramirez had me terrified when I was younger, as I lived in Southern California during his reign of terror, I think capital punishment should be illegalized. We don't burn down the homes of arsonists, and we don't rape the daughters of rapists. It's ridiculous that we allow the government to murder those who have committed murder, because murder is illegal. That is such an illogical argument, it makes your "no accountability as an adult because of a crappy childhood" mantra seem genius in comparison.

It's very sad, that Ramirez is still alive. In my country death capital punishment was abolished... and we have here much more crimes! Live sentence? This is BIG LIE. Prisoners left prisons after 25-30 years! Europe is crazy. Murderers have more rights than their victims.

Death penalty in California? IT'S FUNNY. Richard Ramirez, Charles Ng, Lawrence Bittaker, Doug Clark and Randy Kraft - serial killers from California. They all are still alive! This is sick.

All you bleeding heart liberals who cry about the inhumanity of the death penalty and how it violates the rights of the convicted need to ask yourselves just once, what about the rights of the victims? Who stands up for them? When do the surviving family members get their justice of seeing the sentence actually handed out so they can find closure?

There is a real problem with the current system of justice and that is it takes too long. Its real simple to fix. Give the a hole one year to play with the system and file his/her appeal but then on the one year date of his/her conviction they are put to death. The sentence is fullfilled, the family has closure and move on to the next one.

If that's too difficult for you then please continue to donate to the ACLU. Send them your life savings if that helps you to sleep at night.